EPSRC PhD Studentship in: Data Driven Control of Urban Drainage Systems

Start Date: 25^th September 2023 (contract duration 4 years)

The University of Sheffield and EMS are looking to recruit a PhD student to develop new A.I. data driven control technologies to tackle the urgent environmental problems posed by urban drainage storm overflows.    

Currently over 80% of UK Rivers are failing to achieve good ecological status, and frequent spills from storm overflows are a major contributor. Resulting public concern and new legislation are placing significant obligations on the UK water industry to reduce both the number and harm caused by overflows and to make urban drainage systems more resilient to rainfall events. EMS and the University of Sheffield have developed an adaptable, low cost flow management system (CENTAUR) which manages excess flow volumes in drainage networks based on data from local sensors. CENTAUR is currently being trialled by UK water companies to improve network performance during rainfall.

The aim of this PhD will be to further develop CENTAUR to specifically target and reduce environmental harm to surface waters. It is anticipated that by directly considering water quality aspects, updated control software could deliver significant reduction of environmental harm caused by overflows to receiving waters. Demonstration of this technology will provide new tools and approaches to the UK water sector to reduce the impacts of drainage systems.

We are therefore seeking candidates with an aptitude for data analysis, computing and/or environmental modelling and are enthusiastic about developing new technologies to solve pressing environmental problems.       

The research programme to be completed in this project will be undertaken as part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Infrastructure and Resilience (CDT WIRe). CDT WIRe is a collaboration between the three leading UK Universities in water resilient infrastructure. Students will benefit from a bespoke training scheme delivered by world leading experts from academia and industry, access to world leading experimental and computational facilities as well as close and regular contact with industry and end user partners.  CDT WIRe is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community, and offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies. For further information on the CDT WIRe scheme visit the web site at:  https://cdtwire.com/

The project will be supervised by Dr J Shucksmith and Prof Simon Tait in collaboration with partners from EMS.

Eligibility Criteria

This studentship is supported by EPSRC WIRe CDT and the University of Sheffield.

Eligibly criteria are based on residence; further information can be found at:

https://www.ukri.org/what-we-offer/developing-people-and-skills/esrc/funding-for-postgraduate-training-and-development/eligibility-for-studentship-funding/

International applications to this CDT are subject to a quota; hence overseas applicants may not receive feedback until sufficient applications have been processed. 

The selection criteria for the position are;

• A good honours degree (or equivalent experience) in engineering, mathematics, data science or a related subject.
• Good level of past experience in coding and/or data analysis.
• Enthusiasm and aptitude for research in the subject area
• Good level of written and oral communication skills, as appropriate for disseminating research and communicating with project partners.
• Willingness to collaborate with other researchers, industry and end-users.

How to apply

Interested candidates should email a covering letter and their Curriculum

Vitae to Lindsay Hopcroft (l.hopcroft@sheffield.ac.uk)

For information and informal enquiries please contact: j.shucksmith@sheffield.ac.uk 

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